Sweet potato vermicelli salad is one of the best-selling dishes at Ngo Thanh Van's vegetarian restaurant. The dish is served with a bowl of vegetable soup - Photo: HO LAM
In early April, Ngo Thanh Van and her husband announced the opening of a vegetarian restaurant in Thao Dien, Thu Duc City, Ho Chi Minh City. In the following days, the restaurant was constantly full, many customers had to wait for hours.
After 4 months of opening, the restaurant has reduced the overload situation because it was renovated, expanded, added tables, chairs and seats.
Ngo Thanh Van opens vegetarian restaurant inspired by Vietnamese noodle shop during French colonial period
Ngo Thanh Van's vegetarian restaurant has a cool, airy space, decorated in a nostalgic style.
Tuoi Tre Online visited the restaurant during lunch break, one of the busiest times of the day. According to the records, there was still a shortage of seats, no tables, and some customers still accepted to sit and wait their turn. However, the waiting time was not too long.
Vegetarian restaurant space of Ngo Thanh Van - Photo: HO LAM
On her personal page, Ngo Thanh Van revealed to the audience that her maternal grandfather was of Chaozhou origin, born during the French colonial period - in 1923:
"He grew up and traveled around selling furniture.
The bowls of noodles eaten quickly at roadside stalls gradually became a familiar dish after each afternoon stop, on his journey back and forth.
When Ngo Thanh Van was young, through her mother's stories, she was fascinated and searched for stories and images of the French colonial period associated with the noodle stalls that warmed her grandmother's stomach and were also the main meal of the merchants at that time.
Then when she got married, she met a life partner who was a chef who loved cooking and could create vegetarian dishes.
From here, the Hai Phuong actress and her husband cherished the idea of recreating a small noodle shop, serving people from all over the country.
"The noodle shop was born, inspired by Vietnamese noodle shops during the French colonial period. The image of the shop evokes spiritual values and aims for a green, healthy life.
The restaurant will only serve vegetarian dishes. Still trendy, still stylish, still flavorful and above all, still for the health of busy people out there" - Ngo Thanh Van wrote.
Ngo Thanh Van and her husband opened a restaurant inspired by the noodle shops her grandfather ate at during the French colonial period - Photo: FBNV
A bowl of mixed sweet potato vermicelli costs 118,000 VND, is it worth it?
Many diners believe that if they take the trouble to visit Ngo Thanh Van's vegetarian restaurant, they must definitely try the sweet potato vermicelli salad, even though it is the most expensive dish.
Most tables order this dish. The soul of the dish lies in the rich peanut butter sauce, combined with the sweetness of mushrooms and the slight spiciness of spices. All blend together to create a bowl of mixed vermicelli that explodes the taste buds.
However, some people say that vermicelli made from sweet potatoes is quite tough, making it harder for the seasoning to absorb.
On social networks and culinary forums, there has been much controversy over a bowl of vegetarian vermicelli noodles costing... over 100,000 VND. Many people compare this price to three salty meals a day for a worker.
Sweet potato vermicelli dish costs 118,000 VND - Photo: HO LAM
With a 2-star rating for this dining place on Google Maps, diner Tung Pham Son shared his feelings:
"I ate signature vermicelli, duck bamboo shoot vermicelli, fried breadsticks, rice cake, oyster mushrooms and mint lemonade. Considering the same price as other restaurants, the food quality is not special, the drinks are small and not special either.
The mixed vermicelli has thick pho noodles which is quite unique but the accompanying side is not impressive (like banh gio filling). The fried tempura oyster mushrooms have too thick skin.
I only find the banh duc more delicious and unique than other vegetarian restaurants because it has coconut milk directly on top. The fried dough sticks have a sweet and rich pandan sauce. However, these two side dishes really can't make up for the badness of the other dishes, along with the high price."
Other Food Eat and Play writes:
"The food here is a bit greasy and quite sweet. I'm unlikely to come back to eat it on my own unless I have to go with someone or meet someone here. The best seller is mixed vermicelli but honestly it's not as good as banh duc."
Coconut cake and oyster mushroom tempura costs 68,000 VND. Pandan fried breadsticks cost 38,000 VND - Photo: HO LAM
Tuoi Tre Online noted that the dishes here are still greasy and heavily spiced.
For those who tend to eat vegan, meaning they only use foods of plant origin and prepare them simply by steaming, boiling, and not marinating too much, the dishes at Ngo Thanh Van's vegetarian restaurant probably won't be suitable for them.
The main dishes here include: mixed sweet potato vermicelli, Hong Kong braised noodle balls, pho, Thai vermicelli, rice cake... with prices ranging from 68,000 - 118,000 VND.
The cheapest dish is pandan fried breadsticks at 38,000 VND.
The most expensive dish is mixed sweet potato vermicelli and dried wonton noodles for 118,000 VND.
Some people say that to be a customer of Ngo Thanh Van's vegetarian restaurant, one must be well-off.
The scale of the restaurant cannot be compared to high-end vegetarian restaurants, so this price is quite high compared to restaurants in the same segment.
In fact, with the location in Thao Dien area, old District 2, Ho Chi Minh City, which is inherently quite expensive and the cost of ingredients and labor to make vegetarian dishes may not be cheap, many diners coming to Ngo Thanh Van's restaurant still sympathize and are comfortable with the culinary experience here.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/mua-vu-lan-den-chanchan-noodle-cua-ngo-thanh-van-an-mon-chay-mien-khoai-lang-20240815204637471.htm
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